Self-locking seal.



E.TYDEN.

SELF LOOKING SEAL. APPLICATION IILBD JAN. 7, 1914.-

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL TYIDEN, or EvAIvs'roiI, ILLINOIS.

SELF-LOCKING SEAL.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, EMIL TYDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Self-Locking Seals, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings,

' forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improvedconstruction of self-locking seal of the character which comprises a shell and a securing member inserted into it for sealing.

It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims.

In the drawingszFigure 1 is .a perspective view of a seal embodying this invention, the parts being shown in unlocked position,- that is, the securing member not being inserted into the shell. Fig. 2 is a section axial with respect to the shell, in unlocked pos1- tion. Fig. 3 is a section at the line, 3,3, on Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a view similar to Fig.2, showing. the parts in locked position. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the sleeve member as It appears before having one end of the securing member clenched into 1t. Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevationof one of the locking tumblers. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of a modification. Fi 8 is a section at the line, 8,8, on Fig. Fig. 9 1s a section at the line 99 on Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is a face elevation of the locking tumblers when relatively positioned for their locking engagement with the inserted member. Fig. 11 is a detail plan of the terminal portion of the securing member of the seal.

The seal shown in the drawings embodying this invention comprises a shell, 1, a securing member which is a strip of sheet metal, 2, having one end permanently clenched in a sleeve member, 4, which 1s permanently secured in the shell and protrudes therefrom as hereinaftermore particularly described.

3, 3, 8, are tumblers within the shell for engagement of the inserted end of the securing member when inserted into the shell for locking. The shell, 1, is made of sheet metal comprising two members, l and l united at a seam, 1, each having at the end an aperture through whichone end of the securing member may be thrust and lntermediate which such end of the securing Specification of Letters Patent.

wall bent at an angle opposite the aperture to open the latter and expose the mouth of" the tube endwise. One end of the securing member, .2, is inserted in the sleeve to the bend opposite the aperture, i, and the portion of the sleeve thus occupied and the in-* serted end of the securing member are weakened by V-shapecl notches, 4;, cut into the opposite edges of the sleeve and of theinserted strip, leaving a relatively slender neck, 4 at that point, and at that point also the sleeve is bent in V-shape, thus clenching the inserted end of the securing strip which is further secured by tightly clenching the walls of the .sleeve onto it at Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

Application filed January 7, 1914. Serial No. 810,692.

both sides of the bend. In that portion of the wall of the. sleeve in which the aperture, 4 is made, andextendmg from said aperture to the shell, there is formed a slot or notch, 4 a portion of the metal struck out of the slot bein folded up, forming a stop lug, within tie shell, a similar stop lug,

4*, being struck out of the opposite wall of the sleeve and similarly protruding inside the shell. I I

Within the shell the sleeve has an apertude, P, out through both side walls and extending nearly to the edge Wall s. Diverging fingers, 6,6, are formed of part of the material struck out to form the apertures,

45, in the opposite walls, respectively, the

two fingers constituting a fork-like device,

being nearly parallel at theirend portions and slightly elastic so that upon being crowded together they tend to react apart. On this fork are mounted in construction of the device any desired number of tumblers, 3. Each of these tumblers consists of a small disk having a slot, 3*,adapted to admit the inserted end portion of the securing member, 2, said slot being enlarged intermediate its ends, the enlargement, 3*, being substantially circular. These tumblers are mounted onthe fork whose ends are inserted through the enlargement bearing against the inner circumference thereof in a plane at right angles to the length of the slot, the slot having its length alined with the width or longer transverse dimension of the sleeve, so that the inserted end of the securing member thrust into the sleeve will penetrate the tumblers passingthrough the slots, 3 thereof. Said inserted end of the securing member is slightly reduced in width as compared with the whole width of the strip and tapered forming a head, 2 and is further reduced at a little distance back from the end to form a neck, 2, bounded by shoulders, 2 and 2 the latter of which, 2", being extended to the full width of the strip, projects beyond the former, 2. When said end is inserted through the sleeve, the reduced head, 2", penetrates the slots, 3, of the tumblers, the shoulders, 2 passing beyond the plane of the farther face of the farthest tumbler by the time the shoulders, 2 encounter the proximate face of the proximate tumbler, and the said securing member being further thrust inward, the shoulders, 2

. push the tumblers off the fork, 6, and they fall loosely onto the neck, 2 of the said inserted end of the securing member, and the shoulders, 2 back of the head, 2", engaging the tumblers prevent the withdrawal of the said inserted end of the securing member, 2. Said inserted end of the securing member, 2, has back of the shoulders, 2 a longitudinal boss, 2*, struck off at the middle of its width in position to enter the slot or notch, 43, of the sleeve outside the shell, and said boss encountering the end of the shell stops the inthrust of said securing member, 2, when it has been thrust in far enough to dislodge the tumblers from the fork, 6. The tumblers, when they are dislodged as described and drop onto the neck, 2, hang in the aperture, 49', through the sleeve, at, and being stopped against the margin of that aperture toward the entering end of the shell, permit only a very short longitudinal movement of the said inthrust end of the securing member after it becomes engaged as described with the tumblers. The specific purpose of the boss, 2 besides stopping the inthrust, is that protruding up past the edges of the slot in the upper sleeve wall, it tends to defeat inserting into the sleeve any devicev for cutting the securing member, which is the most obvious method of tampering with the seal-securing member, and if the boss is cut ofl', its absence would disclose the tampering.

In Figs. 7 to 10, there isshown a modified form of this invention. In this form the tumblers, 8-, 8 and 8 may be all formed of one piece of metal folded zigzag and having the folds engaged in the scam, I, of the shell. The extreme tumblers, 8 and 8, are sprung aside edgewise from their normal position, and retained in this abnormal position by projections, 8 and 8 respectively. The projection, 8 of the tumbler, 8 is a hook which extends through an angle-shaped aperture, 8 in the middle tumbler, 8 so as to impinge upon the farther tumbler, 8, and has its hooked end adapted to be engaged with one edge of the radial limb of said aperture, 8 The projection, 8 of the tumbler, 8, engages an aperture, S in the middle tumbler, 8 When the two tumblers,

8 and 8, are in their abnormal deflected position, the slots, 9, of all three of the tumblers coincide and stand alined lengthwise with the width or greater transverse dimension of the sleeve and of the inserted end of the securing member, 2. WVhen the securing member is inserted, the head penetrating the slots of all three tumblers, as in the other form, the shoulders, 2 and 2 encountering the proximate. tumbler, 8", push it toward the middle tumbler, 8, disengaging the hooked end of the projection, 8 from the edge of the aperture 8 said middle tumbler, and at the same time by means of said projection, 8 pushing the remote tumbler, 8, away from the middle tumbler, and disengaging the projection, 8, of said remote tumbler from the aperture, S of the middle tumbler, and the shoulders, 2 back of the head, having passed beyond the remote surface of the remote tumblers so that all the tumblers overhang the neck, 2, the proximate and remote tumblers will have both been released and have reacted intotheir normal position at which their slots extend obliquely with respect to the slot of the middle tumbler, causing them to be engaged on the neck between the shoulders, 2 and 2 thereof, preventing the withdrawal of the inserted end of the securing member, 2.

I claim 1. A self-locking seal, comprising a securing member and a shell apertured for insertion into it of one end portion of a securing member; a tumbler within the shell apertured for-penetration by said inserted portion, the latter being cut back at one lateral edge to reduce its width and form a shoulder extending to said edge for engaging the tumbler when penetrated; means in the shell for holding the tumbler in position for in sertion of said end portion through it, the latter having a shoulder back of that first mentioned for encountering the tumbler, the shell and the securing member being relatively formed to permit further inserting movement of the latter after such encounter, and the holding means being adapted to re-- lease the tumbler when it is pushed by said shoulder in such further inserting movement.

2 A self-locking seal, comprising a securing member and a shell apertured for insertion into it of'one end portion of a securing member; a plurality of tumblers Within the shell, each apertured for penetration by said inserted portion, the latter being cut back at the lateral edges to reduce its Width and to form a neck on Which the tumblers may lodge When penetrated; means in the shell for holding the tumblers'in position for in- 3. A self-locking seal oomp'risinga ,securmg member and a shell apertured for insert1on mto it of one end portion of a securlng member; a tumbler Within the shell having a completely and invariably bounded aperture adapted for penetration by said inserted portion, the latter being cut back at one lateral edge to reduce its Width and form a shoulder extending to said edge for engaging the tumbler when penetrated; means in the shell for holding the tumbler in position for insertion of said end portion through it, the latter having a shoulder back of that first mentioned for engaging the tumbler to dislodge it fromthe holding devices.

a. A self-locking seal comprising a securing member and a shell apertured for insertion into it of one end portion of such securing member; a plurality of tumblers Within the shell, each having a completely and invariably bounded aperture for penetration by said inserted end portion, the latter having its lateral edges notched to form a neck on which the tumblers may lodge When penetrated; means in the shell for holding the tumblers in position for insertion of said end portion through them, the latter having a shoulder back of the neck for engaging the tumblers to dislodge them from the holding device.

5. Aself-locking seal, comprising a securing member and a shell apertured for insertion into it of one end portion of a securing member; said inserted end portion having its lateral edges notched to form a reduced neck back of the end and a plurality of tumblers Within the shell having each an oblong slot enlarged in Width intermediate its ends, the length of the slot being adapted to admit said inserted end and the enlargee ment being in'its least diameter as great as the Width of the neck; means Within the shell for holding such tumblers in position to be penetrated by the inserted end, the latter having a shoulder back of the neck for encounter With said tumblers to dislodge them from the holding means.

6. A self-locking seal, comprising a securing member and a shell apertured for insertion intoit of said securing member; .a

.fiat sleeve extending into the shell ,for'guiding thereinto and seating therein said inserted end portion, said sleeve having di verging fingers extending from itsopposite sides Within the shell; tumblers engaged on said fingers and having apertures hichfby such engagement are held alined with the sleeve cavity, the securing member having 'itsinserted end portion adapted. to penetrate the tumbler apertures, and having its lateral edges notched to-form a reduced neck back of the end and a shoulder back of the neck adapted toencounter the tumblers in the in ,serting movement and disengage them from said fingers.

7. A self-locking seal, comprising a shell apertured for insertion ofa securing member; a flat sleeve extending into the shell for guiding thereinto and seating therein said inserted end portion; said sleeve extending outside the shell and apertured at one side over its entire Width at one end of the shell, the protruding portion being deflected laterally to expose the shell cavity at said aperture; a securing member having one end adapted to be inserted into the sleeve at said aperture, the other end being secured in the deflected portion of the sleeve.

8. A self-locking seal, comprising a shell apertured for insertion of a securing member; a flat sleeve extending into the shell for guiding thereinto and seating therein said inserted end portion; said sleeve eX-' tending outside the shell and apertured at one side over its entire Width at one end of the shell, the protruding portion being deflected laterally to expose the shell cavity at said aperture; a securing member having one end adapted to be inserted into the sleeve at said aperture, the other end being secured in the deflected portion of the sleeve,

the protruding deflected portion of the sleeve and the end portion of the securing member held therein being weakened by lateral notches and bent angularly at said weakened point. I

9; A self-locking seal, comprising, a securing member; a shell apertured for insertion into it of one end portion of the se-' curing member; a flat sleeve extending into the shell for guiding thereinto and seating therein said inserted end portion, said sleeve having Within the shell an aperture through both its Walls, and fingers bent divergently out of the apertures in the respective Walls so as to stand at opposite sides thereof Within the shell; tumblers having slots adapted to be penetrated by said inserted endportion of the securing member, and enlarged in Width betweentheir ends and mounted upon 4 said fingers by the engagement of the latter in the enlargement of the slots for holding the tumblers with their slots alined as to their length with the longer dimension of the cavity of the fiat sleeve, said insertedtend portion having a neck back of its end on which the tumblers can turn by means of said enlargement, and having shoulders back of said neck for encountering the tumblers to push them off the fingers.

10. A self-locking seal, comprising a securing member and a shell apertured for insertion into it of one end of the, securing member; a fiat sleeve extending into the shell for guiding thereinto and seating therein said inserted end portion, said sleeve extending outside the shell and having at a short distance from the shell an aperture through one wall and at said aperture defiected laterally to expose the cavity of the sleeve endwise, the securing member having one .end secured in the deflected portion and having back of said inserted end a longitudinally-extending boss, the 'apertured Wall of the sleeve having a notch extending longitudinally from said aperture to the shell, adapted .to receive said boss of the inserted end When the latter is inserted into the shell.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 31st day of December, 1913.

EMIL TYDEN.

Witnesses:

CHAS. vS. BURTON, LUCY I. STONE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. 

